


Once upon an October

by Maewan



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Turned Into a Ghost, Fluff and Angst, M/M, October Prompt Challenge, Prompt Fic, Temporary Character Death, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2019-10-20
Packaged: 2020-11-27 00:08:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 18
Words: 14,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20939051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maewan/pseuds/Maewan
Summary: A serie of One Shots following a prompt on Tumblr. All of them are Malec!Centric.WARNING : Major Character death in some of them (well, mention of it actually)





	1. Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short story for the October Prompt challenge. This is my first fanction in English, so I'm sorry for the mistake that remained in the text. 
> 
> The first chapters are independants - since these were suppose to be OS all along - but then, they are all part of the same story.

It all started with ‘Once upon a time’ like most fairytales.

When he was twenty-something, the dark-haired man crossed path with the love of his life. He was a student, shy and discreet. His dream was to follow the path his parents had built for him even before he was born. Magnus was… he was the sun, bright and warm after a horrid winter. 

Alec was the one who ordered a coffee with two sugars and a tad of milk. Magnus was the hot waiter, the idiot that made him blush and stutter the moment he said: “Hello sweety, how can I help you?” and then, he knew he was screwed.

“I… uh… I… you’re hot.” was the first sentence he managed to say and, of course, his face turned bright red. “Oh fuck. I’m so sorry. I mean… I want a coffee with… with well… ask your uh… manager, he knows what I like.”

The man chuckled and tapped a badge on his chest.

“I’m the new owner. So, tell me… do you want your perfect drink or a date? We could do both, but later maybe.” the man said, before switching back to his professional-self. “I’m Magnus, by the way. And you are…?”

“A-Alec.” he mumbled, quickly giving his order this time. There was a new owner here… at his favourite coffee shop… and he just called him hot by accident. Because his mind and his tongue were stupid and decided this was precisely the right thing to do.

Suddenly, a hand squeezed his and Alec was back in the moment. Magnus was awake and smiling at him. A soft smile on his lips, Alec leaned and claimed his lover’s lips for a kiss.

“Hello, beautiful.”

“You were thinking… what’s in that pretty head of your?”

“Just remembering how we met. It was the beginning of our fairytale…” Alec whispered, nuzzling the older man. “I love you, Magnus Bane.”

“And I love you too, Alexander Gideon Lightwood.”


	2. Dance

Like every day for the last two months, Alec was pushing that club’s door. Its name was the Pandemonium and it opened three years ago now. So… why was he coming here for two months only? And why every day? Because 8 weeks ago precisely, Alexander - that was his full name - turned 21 and as a way to celebrate it, his friends thought it would be awesome to turn him into a true adult. Meaning, they brought him here to enjoy a show. A very sensual and goddamn hot show.

At first, Alec just felt uncomfortable and sat there, a glass of orange juice in his left hand. Even a blind person would see how much he wished to disappear in a hole, not to be seen again. Minutes turned into hours and the poor student tried to escape so many times that his sister, Isabelle, had lost count of it. Then… he appeared. The most beautiful man in the universe. The angel was tall, but not too much. His skin was the colour of caramel under the sun, and Alec was sure it tasted like it too.

Oh gosh… what are you thinking? He is a man, not some piece of meat.

But a Hell of a man, with clothes that left nothing to the imagination. He knew there were firm muscles under his tight shirt. He knew exactly how he looked like under his pants and, suddenly, he was feeling really tight in his owns. The beautiful stranger was then on stage and the music started. A slow one. The man was moving even slower, like a feline and that’s when Alec knew he was screwed. First, he was definitely gay. Second, the mysterious dancer was his new dream, and he knew he just could not have him.

* * *

But now, he’s been coming here for eight weeks, from 8:15pm to 11:30pm just to enjoy a bit of Magnus’ presence. Magnus. What a divine name. He heard it on his second day here, when the owner announced it was time for the one and only Magnus’ show. Tonight was no different. Several people cheered when they heard the dancer’s name, Alec smiled and sipped his alcohol-free cocktail as Magnus’ started showing how beautiful he was. As usual, his breath itched when the man started uncovering more and more of his chest.

“Let me tell ya’ one thing. I can make good use of that pretty mouth of his…” said a man sitting a few places away from Alec. “The lad won’t walk for a while after!” he added, laughing with his friends.

“He’s human you pig! Don’t you dare to talk or think anything like that again!” Alec said, his voice turning into a low growl.

“And who do you think you are?” snarled the older man, but for once, the Lightwood’s boy did not even flinch.

“Just an attorney who’d be happy to ruin your life if you lay one finger on Magnus.”

The moment the man paled, Alec felt a wave of… what was it? Happiness? Proudness? Was it even a word? Actually, Alec was still studying to become a judge and take over his father’s place one day but since he looked older than he was… there was nothing bad in that small lie. What he did not notice was a woman standing behind him. Not before he felt a tap on his shoulder, and a black hand handing him a note. Before he could say anything, the woman was gone and the dark-haired man was confused as he read the paper.

Magnus wants to meet you. Ten minutes after his show, come to the red door behind the bar. Say Catarina invited you. Don’t be late.

What the…? Him? Magnus wanted to see HIM? Of all people? Why? Was he allowed to leave right now and never comes back? He would have done that… but when he looked up, he made eye-contact (or was it eye-fuck?) with Magnus and when the man winked at him, he sat back and blushed. Too soon, the beautiful Asian left the stage.

5 minutes. 4. 3. 2. 1…

After what felt like forever, Alexander was allowed to step backstage. Several doors were along the corridor, each with a different name on it until he reached Magnus’. The door was bright red with a glimpse of gold and he knocked. At first, there were no answers but then, the same woman than earlier opened and smiled.

“Just in time. Please come in, Magnus will be there in a minute,” she said kindly, her brown eyes sparkling with both amusement and kindness. “I’ll go give back all these gifts.”

A pang of sadness hit him. He was one of the many gifters… every day, there was something new from him, to Magnus. Of course, the man was not keeping any of them… he was not any special.

Maybe two minutes later, while Alec was sitting on a couch, Magnus came in. His hair was wet and messy - could he touch it? - and his body wrapped in nothing but a towel. Ok. He was dead and in Heaven. And he was drooling. Thankfully, Magnus’ voice stopped him from creating a lake with his own saliva.

“Well hello. So you are the mysterious A?” he asked in a soft voice. An angel was talking to him and, around his wrist, was a golden bracelet. The one Alec gave him that day. He kept it! “Breath, pretty boy.”

Breath. Right. He needed to breathe. In and out. In and out. Good. His face was still burning but at least oxygen was filling his lungs.

“I… Yes. A for… for Alec.”

That night was just the start. A dance brought them together and every now and then, Catarina would find them in Magnus’ room, dancing together, lost in the eyes of the other.


	3. Lost

Alexander was barely four. His parents were back to Alicante for an important meeting and the little boy was bored. Isabelle was just a baby, she was no fun and she cried a lot. Mister Hodge was busy training some less-younger Nephilim so… obviously, it was the right time to go on an adventure. Baby step by baby step, the little boy reached the door and opened it. Before anyone could see or catch him, he was gone in the middle of the night.

For a while, his little legs led him in the gardens, then a street where there was a festival - it was New Year Eve - and soon, the young Lightwood was lost. There were too many people around. Strangers. Humans or not. Some were wearing funny masks… except if they were warlocks showing their marks to the world? Momma told him it was against the rules. The Clave said they had to hide, so the mundanes never find out about their world. If they were breaking the law, Alec had to tell the adults. He had to tell mister Hodge, who will tell his mommy and daddy. But… where was the Institute?

Little foot against the hard floor, Alexander felt a pang in his chest. He was alone. A moment later, tears were falling along his cheeks. His sobs grew louder and louder and, as he was running in the direction he thought was his home, his little body collides with something. Or someone, since the ‘thing’ was a pair of long legs, a body attached to them, and the face of a man on top of it.

“Well hello, little one.” said the stranger, and Alec tensed right away. “Where are your parents? Are you lost?”

There was some worry in the man’s eyes, but his parents always told him not to tell his name to a stranger. Especially if they were Downworlders, because some of them hated their family… but even if the man had cat eyes, he seemed really kind? Shyly, Alec decided it was okay to nod. He was very lost, indeed.

“What’s your name, kiddo? I’m Magnus, Magnus Bane.”  
“A-Alec..” whispered the boy. “I want mommy and daddy… and Izzy, even if she smells a lot!” sobbed Alexander.

Before he was crying again, the Magnus’ man picked him up and he was wrapped in a comforting hug, the man humming a song. Was it a lullaby? Anyway, Alec slowly relaxed.

“We live in the big church. With all the others.” Alec said, before his attention switched back to the man’s eyes. “You’re a bad warlock, Ma’nus?”

The moment he said these words, Magnus paled a bit. For a second, he studied the boy’s face and whispered something along the line “of course, a shadowhunters…” before his smile was back.

“I am the High Warlock of Brooklyn, and I promise I’m not bad…” whispered Magnus, showing some of his magic to the amazed kid in his arms. Alec had never seen magic before, and the blue sparkles were beautiful. Not evil. “Who are your parents?”  
“Mommy and daddy!”  
“Yes, but what are their names?”  
“Mommy and daddy?” said the boy again, wondering what else he should say. “Only old people call them Ligh’foot!”

Oh. A Lightwood. Magnus hated the Lightwoods. They were part of the problem… but the boy was so innocent and cute. The way the said Lightfoot instead of his correct name put a smile on his lips and the warlock put the kid on his shoulders, slowly making his way among the mortals and downworlders in the streets.

Some icecreams and laughs later, the two of them used a portal and ended in front of the Institute, where the warlock watched the little boy walked in the old church. No one had even noticed he was gone.


	4. Bitter

Alexander opened his eyes, his gaze turning toward the clock on the bedside table. 3am. Next to him, in the kingsize bed, the place was cold and empty and a fire started burning again in his chest. Magnus was not here… and most importantly, their son was crying in his crib, in the room next to theirs.

After a painful sigh, when his eyes were no longer blurry, the Nephilim stood and picked the little boy. Blue was sobbing, screaming for his papa and Alexander wished he could tell him things were gonna be okay.

“I know, baby. I miss him too,” he whispered instead, humming the song Magnus used to sing before. The exact same one he sang when they met for the first time when Alexander was four and lost in the big, scary, town. The face he made the day Magnus told him that story. “Come Blue, you’ll sleep with daddy tonight…”

With a hiccup, the toddler nodded eagerly. So young and already enduring both one of his parents’ loss, and his father’s grief. Life was unfair, both for Blueberry and Alexander. Once they were back to bed, Alec tried to shake the bitter sorrow in him, as he started to speak in a whispered.

“Once upon a time, a powerful warlock. His name was Magnus Bane..”  
“Papa!” piped the kid, chewing on his stuffed rabbit’s ear.  
“Yes, your papa. Many years ago, your papa was celebrating the New Year with his friends, he was beautiful, always covered in glitters and his eyes were glowing in the crowd of people in the street. He was wearing a red jacket and black pants…” he was so perfect, like a god. That night was still clear in his mind, and he kept dreaming about the warlock for weeks after that. “Then, he met a little boy. The kid was only four, but he was lost in the street. His parents and guardian did not notice he was gone… but your papa noticed him, he took him for some icecream and various games in town…”  
“Who boy?”  
“It was me. I did not know then, but that’s probably the day I started loving your wonderful papa. But I promise you, no matter where he is right now, he is keeping an eye on us. He always did, and he loves you to the moon and back.”

Even if now, his husband was buried in the Institute, waiting for Alec to join him one day. No matter what were the rules, Alec refused to rest with all the fallen soldiers. His eternity belongs to Magnus Bane.


	5. Tender

“Magnus, what the Hell?”

The half-offended exclamation came from a young man when another voice laughed next to him. Alec was getting ready for work when, suddenly, he was back in bed and wearing nothing but a pair of boxers. Before he could even try to get up again, two arms were wrapped around him, and soft kisses in the crook of his neck sent several shivers down his spine.

“I have to go… they can totally burn the entire Institute if I’m not here,” the younger man whispered, not moving from his husband’s embrace.  
“So? Let them do. Call in sick, and your hot nurse must take extra care of you… I’m sure that parabatai of yours can handle your responsibilities for a day. Even if his ability to mess things up is impressive.”  
“How old are you again, Mister Lightwood-Bane?”

The moment he said those words, Magnus’ eyes sparkled with pure happiness. It doesn’t matter if they were married for a week, ten years and thirty, Alec was sure his husband’s eyes will shine like this forever. After decades, centuries, of heartbreak, betrayal, loss, someone managed to repair the warlock’s heart and it was him. Alexander Lightwood.

Honestly? Alec was ready to give up and spend the day in bed with Magnus. So of course, his phone chooses that exact moment to buzz on the bedside table.

“Nooooo…” Magnus whined, cuddling more with Alec, even if the man was already answering the call. Whatever Isabelle was telling him, it was enough to tense the Shadowhunter and Magnus began to worry.  
“I’m coming. Stay with mom, and keep everyone from the Clave away. We don’t want them to interfere until we find out what’s going on,” then, he hung up and was out of bed before you could say Shadowhunter.  
“Alexander? What’s going on?”  
“I’m not sure yet. Can you portal me to the Institute? I’ll call you soon.”

Noticing it was probably serious, Magnus nodded and after a last goodbye kiss, and when Alexander was fully dressed, the warlock opened a portal with his magic.

* * *

Alec thought this was clearly against the rules. When he arrived a few hours ago, his mother was humming a lullaby to a blue baby, in a rocking-chair. Yes, you read it right. The terrible Maryse Lightwood, former super-racist when it comes to the down world, was mothering a baby whose skin was blue, as were his hair and little horns. Isabelle explained that Simon was patrolling when he found the boy on the doorsteps, with nothing but a handwritten not: “Who could love it?” It. Not him. It. As if the child was a thing, and not a living being.

“We need to send him to Alicante. Someone can raise him until he is old enough to survive in this world,” said Jace after a while, but Alec shook his head. He was NOT sending the kid in the hands of the Clave. God knows what they may do to him. Instead, he gently picked the baby from Maryse’s arms  
“I’ll take him home. Magnus and I will take care of him until we find something else.”

And by ‘something else’, he meant trying to convince Magnus they should raise the boy together. As a family. Thankfully, his mother had kept some of their old clothes and Alec made his way home with a little bundle in his arms and a bag full of baby clothes in one hand. The moment he reached the door, many questions assault his mind. What if Magnus does not want kids? What if he was as bad of a father as Robert? How does one raise a baby warlock? What if the kids were rude when he would be old enough to go to school? Was it allowed to shoot them with an arrow in the tender parts? One deep breath later, the Nephilim push the door without knocking. Noise was coming from the kitchen and, once more, the dark-haired man chuckled. Even with magic to do stuff for him, Magnus couldn’t help but make dinner the mundane way.

“Magnus? I’m home!”

In his arms, the bundle of blankets started whimpering softly. Good job, Alec. You woke up the kid. Just when he fell asleep in the stupid elevator. Thanks to the Angel, the boy fell right back in the arms of Morpheus. After he dropped the bag on the couch, Alec heard footsteps behind him and two arms around him. Magnus was turning him over for a kiss, but he froze when he noticed a tiny blue hand holding Alec’s shirt.

“What the…”  
“Language. It’s a long story, sit with me, please?”

For the next couple of hours, Alec explained what happened that day. It was clear that Magnus was scared and mad all the same. Furious because the baby was thrown away like some trash. Scared because, just like Alec, he was not feeling so sure about his parenting abilities. Eventually, he agreed to keep him for a while. Two weeks maximum.

* * *

Two days later.

Alexander woke up because he was feeling cold. Next to him, the spot was empty and the archer frowned. It was unlike Magnus to wake up in the middle of the night… and even if he was, he just end up cuddling with him. From his place, he could see there was light coming from the living room and he stood. The floor was cold under his feet, so was the air before he grabbed a hoodie and put it on. Slowing, he turned the door’s handle and once in the living room, a smile was on his lips.

Here was Magnus. His hair all messing, dark circles under his eyes, puke on his shirt and an empty bottle on the table. Without noticing Alec, the warlock kept whispering soft words in the baby’s ear. A baby who was wide awake and gurgling cutely.

“Of course you are the cutest little Blueberry… I could eat you…” Magnus said, pretending he was ‘eating’ the kid’s hands and tummy, which made him gurgled even more. “Nomnomnomnom!”

From his spot, Alec shook his head and walked silently, until he locked an arm around Magnus and kissed his neck.

“You are a natural,” he whispered, “Even if you smell like vomit.”

Magnus gently whacked his arm, faking he was offended by the words.

“Sorry love. I’m just kidding.” Then, he turned his attention back to the boy, who was staring at him with wide blue eyes. “You like your papa a lot, right?”

Blue yawned and waved his chubby hand before the men’s faces.

“Papa..?” Magnus asked, his cheek turning a slight shade of red, which was unusual coming from him.  
“You know we’re gonna keep him. I watched you, and you know what I’ve seen?”  
“No, what?”  
“A father, taking good care of his baby. I fell even more in love when I saw you like this, he can’t dream of a better parent than you.”  
“Or you,” Magnus whispered. “Shall I call you daddy?”  
“Idiot…” Alec chuckled against Magnus’ lips. “I’ll wait for you in the shower. Join me when you are ready.”


	6. Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING : Mention of homophobia in this chapter, one specific word might hurt you (I had a hard time using it myself) 
> 
> In a brighter note: Thank you for the kuddos and follow, it means a lot, especially since this is my first (published) fanfiction in English.

It had been three years since Magnus’ sudden death and life was back to normal. As normal as possible when the love of your life was dead. People may think that Alec had moved on, but it was nothing but a lie. He was still living in their old loft, surrounded by their memories and far too often, he was waking up in the middle of the night after another nightmare. Magnus was always there, dying in his arms and covered in blood. His blood. His lips were turning blue and his eyes losing their spark.

No, it was not time to think about it. No matter how much he felt depressed since his soulmate was gone, Alexander had to keep moving. Blue needed him. His family needed him. And he still had to find what happened to Magnus and kill whoever or whatever tear them apart. What he was doing at the moment felt quite mundane anyway. After a long day at the Institut, where he taught some archery to the younger soldier, he was making his way to Blue’s school, since they were getting close to four in the afternoon. The weather outside was stormy. You could not even see three feet away from you and before he reached the school, the young dad was absolutely soaked. His dark clothes were glued to his body, the cold wind made him shiver but Blue was waiting for him.

“DAD!“ came a little voice from behind a window. Blue was there, waving cutely and grinning from one ear to the other. The door suddenly opened and the little boy was trotting toward his last parent, launching himself in the open arms waiting for him. “Miss ya’ daddy!”  
“I missed you too, love. How was your day? Did you have fun?” Alec asked as he stood with his son in his arms.  
“Yeee! Look! Look! I have a dwawing for daddy!” the boy said excitedly, pointing to a small table. Not far from them, the teacher smiled softly. Alec was always one of the last parents to come, but the love between the father and son was clear as day. “Here daddy! Here Bwue! Here papa!” explained the boy, his chubby finger pointing at each character.

At the mention of his papa, of Magnus, Alec felt a pang of sadness in his heart. Blue was really young when Magnus died, but the kid just keeps talking about him.

“Collect your things, love. We’re going home. Uncle Jace is coming with aunt Izzy and Clary tonight.” at his words, the boy squealed happily and started filling his bag with his pencils and toys. Blue was a bubble of pure joy.  
“Max truly is an angel. But he was a bit sad this afternoon and won’t talk about it,” said the teacher, while the little boy was busy. “I tried to talk to him, but he remained silent. Maybe he will tell you? After all, you are his father.”

Worry filled Alec for a while. Did something happen? What if Blue would not tell him? Without Magnus, the shadowhunter was not so sure about his parenting abilities. Still, after a last goodbye, Alec picked his son and sent a glare outside. It was still raining and every now and then, some lightning bolts tore the sky in half or more. Blue placed his small hands over his ears, humming the ‘go away storm’ song they imagined together, his blue eyes filling with tears as they headed home together.

Once home, the two Lightwoods changed into dry clothes and while they waited for Jace, Izzy and Clary, Alec sat with Blue.

“Miss Lena told me you were sad today. Did something happened?” asked Alec, not missing the slight flinch in his kid’s posture. “You know you can tell me anything, right? I’m your daddy, and I love you.”

From his seat, with Chairman Meow purring on his laps, Blue looked up. His lowerlip trembling and his face showing how unsure he felt. But then he said the words that set Alec in utter confusion.

“A-Are y-you going to.. to burn daddy...?” he asked, clearly upset.  
“What? Of course not! Why are you...? Who told you that I will burn?”

The baby warlock bit his lip, locking his arms around Alec this time.

“M-Mister T-Tyron he... he said y-you are a.. a fag and that h-he he burn them all!” the boy cried against him.

Alec was fighting his urge to go and share his mind with the headmaster. How dare he say things like that in front of kids? Where his son could hear it and imagine all the worst scenario possible? How in Hell was a man like that allowed to work with children?

“D-Daddy...? What’s a fag...?” came a soft whimpered.  
“It’s a very bad word, baby. A bad word used by cowards who are so jealous of the love that other people are having, like your papa and I, that they can feel nothing but hate. You must pity them. Because it’s really sad not to have love in your life.” said Alec. He wanted to punch someone, but as a parent, he had to be an example... and a good one. “Since no one loves them, they hate the others. Especially if it’s two moms or two dads.”  
“Why?”  
“I don’t know baby. We can’t explain jealousy as for fear... they just fear to be alone for the rest of their lives.” whispered Alec, gently rubbing his son’s back. Gladly, his boy was now relaxing. “Do you understand?”

Shyly, Blue nodded and looked up.

“I’ll give him a biiiiiig hug tomorrow! So he have love too, and stop being a bad bad!”

Alec clearly doubt it would change anything but he chuckled and kissed the kid’s head. He was so lucky to have Blue in his life, and the storm was over... maybe the night won’t be so bad.


	7. Baby Spider

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was busy yesterday and did not have time for the daily text. Since I had no idea for yesterday’s prompt, I am taking something from a former list instead. Hope you’ll like the “Spider Baby” text!

A little boy was following his aunt Izzy, as they were heading home after a day at the park. Thanks to aunt Catarina’s help, the mundanes weren’t able to see his true skin colour so, that day, he made a lot of new friends and even played hide and seek with them. After what happened the other day, when he told his papa about the bad word he heard at school, he had been staying home with either his only parent, one of his aunts or uncles or grandma Maryse.

“Aunty Zy? What if daddy hates mister Spidey?” the boy asked, holding a little box against his chest. To his surprise, a mischievous smile floated on the woman’s lips.  
“Oh don’t you worry, I’m sure he is gonna love it,” she says as she opened the building’s door and stepped in the main hall, the elevator and, a while later, the empty loft. Sometimes, she was still hoping to find Magnus here. Working on a potion, a spell, or just cooing like an idiot to their new addition in the family. The woman was brought back to the present moment by a hand on his cheek. Blue was staring at her with curious eyes, clearly wondering what was going on in his aunt’s head.

The young woman shook her head, focusing again on the boy. There were two hours lefts before Alec headed home so they played, ate and Blue even had his bath and was put in his Frozen (the Disney character, not an actual cold one) pyjamas. No matter how hard Isabelle tried to put him to bed, the little boy protested every time. He wanted to see his daddy. Alec had to tell him his story and give him a goodnight kiss.

* * *

Alec was... exhausted. Today, they had to track and capture a vampire. The man had been killing mundane for a while now, leaving a bloody trail behind him from Canada to Mexico and then back to New York. Even the mundanes were talking about it, but their hypothesis was that a mortal was behind it, a serial killer they had not caught yet. The vampire now was on his way to Alicante, where he would be sentenced to death. Of course, he was already dead, but that version would be more... eternal. So yes, the head of the Institute was glad to go home tonight, especially when the first thing - or person here - he saw was his son, dozing off on the couch, until he heard the door and looked up.

“DADDY!”

Alec barely had time to close the door when the little boy jumped and made them both fall on the floor. Sometimes, Alec wondered if the warlock were not some sort of cat. He was always purring in his arms and nuzzling him happily. The only difference with an actual feline was that, unlike Chairman or Church, the boy never tried to bite his ankles in the middle of the night.

“Maxie! You had fun today?”  
“Missed you looooot! But aunt Izzy gave me a fluffy animal!” the kid said, “Come! I show you!”

Alec raised an eyebrow, wondering what his sister did again. The other day, Simon came home with a turtle - named Michelangelo for some obscure reasons - and before that, Jace once came home with a puppy. The turtle mysteriously ‘disappeard’ and the dog somehow managed to open the door and run away in the middle of the night. Alex truly hoped he would not need to find another family again to get rid of an animal. He was growing short of friends right now. One small hand in his, Alec was led to Blue’s bedroom, where a box waited for them. A small one. A turtle again? Or a snail?

“Close eyes daddy!” Blue commanded, and Alec chuckled but did as commanded. He knew Blue would not take no for an answer. There were some noises, probably Blue climbing on his bed and opening the box. “Watch, Daddy!”

The moment he opened his eyes, Alec felt something cold run down his spine. Beside him, Isabelle was grinning, clearly proud of herself and a weird sense of humour. But Alec's eyes were glued to what was inside the box. That thing was probably small for most people... for Alec anyway, he was facing a monster. One with eight legs, many eyes - far too many - and the size of Blue’s fist. A spider. Isabelle had given a spider to his son. She knew perfectly well how they made him feel.

“You don’t like mister Spidey?” Blue asked, his lower lip trembling softly. In his head, Alec pictured a situation in which he could grab a hammer and kill the damn insect. Not insect, but whatever it was. “Oh, I know! You can’t see it, right daddy? Too small!” said the baby warlock again, and before Alec could stop it, the boy managed to use his magic, making the spider the size of a small dog.

Alec’s courage escaped through the door as the man let out a high pitch scream and quickly got out of the room. Even from the kitchen, he heard the way Isabelle’s was laughing and the questions coming from Blue. Between waves of laughter, the woman explained how Alec was scared of spiders because of a joke some years ago. One that Jace was still rather proud of, if she may say.

“But it’s mean, aunt Izzy! Is uncle Ja’ scared of some’hing too?”

Even from his place - he was NOT coming back to that bedroom until the spider was gone, not EVER - Alec could see the mischievous look on his son’s face, so he yelled from the kitchen.

“Ducks! Uncle Jace is scared of ducks!”

Giggles answered his words.

“Daddy? I want babies ducks pwease!” then said the boy, quickly trotting from his bedroom to the kitchen. “Goodnight kiss, daddy!” asked the cute little face, both his hands behind his back. Slowly, Alec lowered himself and kissed his son’s forehead, but then, he screamed again when the warlock put the still too big spider in from of him. “And one for mister Spidey too!”  
“IZZY! Take that thing away from me!”


	8. Ghost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I am using another word for that prompt. I don’t see how in the seven kingdoms of Hell I can put Alec and Memes in the same universe. So, let’s go with a ghost story. Once more, Blue is gonna be important in this chapter. Hope you’ll like it!

Blue was playing in his bedroom. He knew his daddy was tired because he was tracking bad people, so he needed to sleep, even if it was on the couch, with Chairman Meow purring on his laps. 

_Hello, Blue._

The young warlock looked up, smiling at the now-familiar face. He appeared five nights ago when the blue boy heard his dad crying in his room. It happened sometimes. Even if daddy fought baddies and demons all the time, he cried when he was alone or after a very bad dream. Blue knew, but he did not know how to help his father… so five nights ago, Blue had stayed behind the door. He had placed his tiny hands on it and then closed his eyes. And he had wished. He wished with all his heart for a way to help his father. To make him happy again. The strange man appeared the next day but, for some reason, he was the only one able to see him. 

_What are you doing all alone?_ asked the man again, smiling softly. _May I play with you?_

Shyly, the little boy nodded and handed one of his toys to the man. From the outside, the doll was just floating around with the help of magic. “Daddy is sleeping, so I play!” he then explained, before he pointed to the doll. “She’s queen Elsa! She has magic! Do you have magic too, mister?”

_I used too, yes. I tried to help people with it._

“I want to help people too. Want to help daddy. He is sad because papa is dead,” whispered the kid, his eyes filled with tears. “I want papa to wake up!” 

After all, dead people were just asleep for a long time, right? But when you sleep, you have to wake up at some point? Maybe if his dad finds papa and kisses him, then they can go home together and be a family again? 

_I know you want, and I’m sure your papa wants it too, wherever he is. But you know, it’s complicated._  
“But… but daddy said it’s… it’s like sleeping for a very long time. I’m four now! Four is very very very veryyyyyyyyy long sleep,” Blue whimpered. “And daddy is sad. If papa loves daddy, he must wake up, or I don’t love him anymore!”

From its spot, the spirit smiled sadly. Death was a hard concept to understand, especially at such a young age. Of course, the kid felt confused and sad for his father, but he had no one to blame, so he was angry toward his long-gone parent.

* * *

** _Three years later._ **

Blue was now 7 years old. Alec had found out about his habit to ‘talk alone’ for a while now, but people were always assuring the young father that it was normal. Some kids were having imaginary friends for years before they stopped seeing them. At school, Blue was a happy kid and made several friends but he also had a new big brother, a Nephilim named Rafael. His parents were killed during a raid at the Rio’s Institute and his dad brought him here. Rafa was his best friend in the whole world, and he too was able to see the ghost-man. Today, the two kids were sitting in Alec’s bedroom, looking for something Rafael claimed he saw here some weeks ago. 

“It was a box with a lock on it. Dad was watching something inside,” the soon-to-be shadowhunter explained to his baby brother. “I think it was a picture…”

Let’s say… all the photos of Magnus were carefully hidden in that box in Alec’s bedroom. Not because he wished to erase all memories of Magnus from the loft, but seeing him everywhere around the place hurt too much. That’s why he decided to lock them away before Blue was two. 

“Found it!” Rafael suddenly explained, grinning from one ear to the other, until he tried to open the said box and… it was clearly locked. “Dammit! Blue?”  
“Let me,” said the younger boy, focusing his magic in one hand. His face was showing all the effort he put in it. His tongue popped out of his mouth and, finally, they heard a ‘clac’ and the lid opened. 

Quickly, the boys sent a look over their shoulder. Their father was nowhere around, so they opened it and took out all the items. There were earrings, bracelets, various items… and then photos. Some they never saw before. When they picked the first, the two brothers gasped and looked up, where their imaginary friend was standing. It was him. The man on the picture was the ghost. 

“It says ‘Magnus and Alec before their first date’”, read Rafael. “Are you… are you papa Magnus…?” the boy asked their friend. 

_I… I don’t know. I can’t remember. I can’t remember a thing from when I was alive… _

But before he could say more, the ghost’s face twisted from peaceful to hurt and scared. Clearly frightened, the kids saw their friend disappeared in a flash of light and a scream of pure agony. They had found Alec’s lost love… and now, he was gone. Again.


	9. Snow

The kids were acting strange lately. When he came home the other day, the boys seemed jumpy and kept sending worried glance everywhere, as if they were expecting someone to show up. Someone who never came. But today, finally, a sense of normality was back in the loft. It was 7:00am - barely - and two boys jumped on him and woke him with their loud screams.

“Dad! Dad! Dad! Dad!” they screamed in the same voice.   
“Dad! There is snow everywhere!” Blue voice, no doubt about it.  
“Dad we wanna play! Come! Wakey-Wakey!” Rafael, aka mister ‘wakey-wakey’.

Alec cracked his eyes open, groaning at the sudden light in the bedroom. Trust your Warlock’s son to open the curtains while snuggling in your arms. To his surprise, the kids were fully dressed and begged him to hurry so they can play before all the children in the district started running in all directions. 

“I’m coming. Let me eat something first,” said Alec, and Blue whined, claiming his father was too long. In a corner of his mind, the shadowhunter thought the boy was like Magnus. Over-dramatic. “Ready! Scarf? Beanies?”  
“Aye aye Captain!” roared the boy, and they ran outside, the sound of their laughter slowly fading in the staircases. The elevator was ‘too slow’ for their liking. 

Once outside, the Lightwoods were the only one already up. Blue and Rafale were in the park, working on a snowman with the help of Blue’s magic.

“Careful, remember, the mundanes must not see that. They’ll panic if they find out about our world,” warned Alec, when the various sparkles started being too obvious for his liking. Alec wanted to add something else, but then he stopped breathing. The snowman was oddly familiar. No. Painfully familiar. Somehow, Blue was sculpting it with his magic, turning it into a snowy version of Magnus. “Wh…who is it…?” he whispered, already knowing the answer of course, but he wanted to hear the boys.  
“It’s our friend, the one you can’t see!” says Blue, in the cutest voice possible at the moment. Even with his nose turning purple because of the cold.  
“His name’s Magnus! But he is lost, so he doesn’t know it,” added Rafael.   
“W-Where did you saw him? How do you…” 

How was it possible? Magnus was dead, and the kids never ever saw his face. Not long enough to remember it, and Rafael never did. Blue was a baby when he saw it for the last time, barely old enough to recognize his own face in a mirror. But here it was, an icy version of his late husband, staring at him with his cold eyes. He was not ready to face it now, not ever. 

“He is our friend, but he’s gone now,” Rafael said. “He was scared and he disappeared.”  
“You mean, your imaginary friend?” Alec asked, trying his best to ignore the fact that, maybe, just maybe, his sons were playing with Magnus’ ghost for years. If so, why was he not able to see him? “He’s here now?”  
“No. There was a big light, and he screamed and pouf! No more Magnus!” Blue explained. “He played with me and taught me magic!”

Magnus’ ghost or whatever it was had been there for years. Now he was gone again. There were no books about the afterlife at the Institute, but maybe… maybe he could find something in Magnus’ belongings? If his lover was stuck somewhere, trapped between life and death, he had to do something.

When they headed home later that day, for the first time in years, Alec opened the high warlock’s office. It took Alec hours, even with the kids searching with him, but they managed to find some books about death and the spirits’ world. If there was a chance to see him again, Alec would find it. Just so he can say goodbye.


	10. Obsess

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for what happens in this chapter >_>

The man closed the book with a loud ‘spouf’ and put it in the pile to his next. He had been reading for what felt like weeks now, and maybe it was the trust? Since the kids told him about their friend, maybe not so imaginary, the head of the Institute was mostly locking himself in his office. When was the last time he saw the boys? The Shadowhunter could not tell. Maybe a day, or two, or more... with a tired sigh, the man ran a hand through his hair. His researchers were leading to nothing. Whenever he thought he had found something, he ended up in a dead-end.

“Daddy?”

Alec looked up from a new book and smiled. Rafael was probably just back from the Academy and sending a hopeful smile in his direction. 

“Are you coming home tonight?” he asked shyly, “We miss you...”

Once again, Alec wondered when was the last time he came home. When did he tuck his kids in bed and kissed them goodnight? When was the last time he heard their laughs in the house or saw Blue performed some magic? When did he listen to Rafael as the boy shared his adventures with his friends at the Academy? He couldn’t remember it. Because of his silence, the boy lowered his head and sighed sadly. 

“I see... see you, dad.”

Was he becoming like Robert? Indifferent toward his sons? Was he a soon-to-be stranger to them? What if they ended up hating him, with Rafael being the father they did not have? Another couple of minute passed before the man grabbed his jacket and hurried outside. Some of the Nephilim looked shocked as if they expected him dead in his office. He could not care less about them tho, and he ran all the way from the old church to Brooklyn. From the outside, the lights in the loft were visible and he wondered what the boys were doing. Four by four, the hunter climbed the stairs and pushed the door open. Startled by the sudden noise, Alec was met with a fireball from Blue and a dagger under his throat, thanks to Rafael. When they noticed who was standing here, both boys opened wide eyes. Blue was so big... when had he laid an eye on him for the last time? He couldn’t have locked himself away for more than a few days, right? 

“Boys? Who is it?” asked a voice from the kitchen. His mom? Why was his mother here? Maryse clearly had other stuff to do, right? The scold on her face when she came was enough to tell him he fucked up. A lot. “Oh, so you remember you’re having a house and family, young man?”   
“I... what do you... how long?”   
“More than a year. You’ve been avoiding the boys for a year and a half, and even when you were home, you were to busy to give them what they needed the most. You,” she said, sounding more menacing than all the demons he fought in his life. “Can you imagine how Rafael was feeling, whenever he came to your office, hoping you were coming home for once, but you barely send a look at him? Cant’ you remember how it felt when your father did the same thing to you and your siblings?”

Of course not! He remembered fairly well how he had to take care of Isabelle, Jace and Max. He remembered how he had to grow up faster than expected. To drop the games and innocence behind him. 

“D-Dad..?” Rafael asked, unsure and his dark eyes piercing him like daggers. “Why are you here? Do you need more books?”

The books. He had been away for so long that his eldest thought he was just here to grab more of them. 

“No, I want to spend the night with you. Dinner, and maybe a bedtime story?” Alec explained.  
“Y-” started Blue, ready to jump in his father’s arms.  
“No. We don’t want you. You don’t need us, so we don’t need you. Right, Blue?”

The young warlock looked unsure. His eyes were screaming how much he dreamed to hug the older man, but he nodded and stepped behind his brother. Behind them, Maryse sent a look that said ‘sorry’ to his son, she was not the one who forced the kids into that reaction. They decided it by themselves, as a punishment for that long year. 

“You’re not our dad. Dad left us, and you’re here just because you feel guilty. Don’t come back if dad is not in here!” Rafael said, pointing to his heart. “Max?”

The warlock nodded and with a wave of his hand, Alec felt magic pushed him outside of his home. The door was locked and a ward surrounded the loft. When did Blue learn to do that? He failed them. He had broken their trust and now, they did not want him near them. Not anymore. What was he supposed to do?


	11. Waiting

Do you know that feeling? The one that makes you uncomfortable, when people are staring at you with a judgemental and doubtful look on their faces? When you have to talk in front of people who held YOUR future into their hands? One misplaced word and you were good to spend the rest of your life in limbos. Yes? Well, this was how Alec was feeling right now. But the jury was not composed of frightening members of the Clave. They were his kids. Max and Rafael. 

Max - or Blue - was balancing his legs, fighting the urge to jump off the couch and beg his dad to give him a hug. He was mad at dad. So he had to be just as strong as his big brother. He would not move from here until Rafa said it was ok to go. Rafael was playing with a dagger he was turning between his fingers. All Alec wanted to do was to tell him to stop. What if he cut himself with it? He could lose a hand or a finger, or worse!

“We talked with Blue and Nana Maryse.”

Finally, Rafael broke the heavy silence. They had been like this, staring at each other, for what felt like hours now. Needless to say, Alec had been more nervous at each passing minute. What if hs boys were planning to tell him they wished to move somewhere else? With better parents? Ones who care and pay attention to them? Of course, if they wanted to go with their grandma, Alec was not going to stop them. They deserve to be happy, here or in another home, with new parents, new siblings... 

“I’m listening, Rafael. Speak, I’m not interrupting or judging you,” said Alec, even if he was growing worried. No. His worry was just bigger than usual. Even his coming out was less scary.   
“You left us because we said Magnus was our strange friend... you were obsessed with it, and you abandoned us. Nana said you miss papa. But lately, it was like you were dead too... that you were leaving to find Magnus again and... and we were scared. We thought you were going to die too...” admitted the older boy, his face showing his inner turmoil. The kid had lost his parents once, the one in Rio. Then Alec found him and gave him a new family. But with the last events, he was scared to lose him again. “I- I understand... really. I wish I could see my parents again. My mom and dad... but I can’t and... and I have you. And Blue. Are we... are we not enough? Not enough for you? Dad?”

By the angel. He did that. He made them think he was going to die too. To follow Magnus in the afterlife, one way another. They waited for him, but he was so busy... so stuck in the idea of seeing Magnus again, that he forgot what was right here. These children needed him. They were alive, real... not some dream from another world. Alec stood from his seat and walk slowly toward the boy. Rafael was strong but, right now, he was like any other kids. The tears were running freely down his cheeks and he did not look up when the man knelt in front of him. Next to his small body, Blue was watching with curious eyes. 

“You are more than enough,” whispered Alec. “I was lost for a while, and I’d been a bad parent, you are right. From now on, I’m here. I am not going anywhere... I’ll lock all the books again, and you two are my priority? Understand?”  
“P-Promise?” asked Rafael, his brown eyes staring at the man. He was probably looking for the lie in the adult’s eyes. When he found nothing, a smile finally reached his eyes. “You’re back?”

Alec nodded slowly and before he knew it, the two boys were crashing on him. Both kids were sobbing, clinging to him as if their lives depend on it, or in fear the older man would disappear again. His shirt ended wet because of the tears falling on him, but Alec said nothing, just rubbing his sons’ back. 

“Shhhh... it’s okay. I’m here. Daddy’s here.” 

* * *

Later that day, they were home together. Since the breakdown in Alec’s office, Blue firmly refused to let go of his father. His arms were locked around the man’s neck and, every now and then, he was giving a kiss to the man before nuzzling him. Alec had taken his week off, so he was home with the boys... well except when Rafael was at the Academy. 

“Dad? Can we watch a movie?” asked Rafael, right after they put a cake in the oven. A chocolate and zucchinis’ cake, one of their favourite, with a spoon of cinnamon inside.   
“Sure! Blue? Help your brother picking a movie, I’ll make some popcorn.”

For a moment, the young warlock pouted when he had to let go of his father but he followed his brother. Alec heard them arguing about which movie they wanted to watch. Apparently, Blue was all for ‘Charlie and the chocolate factory’ while Rafael wanted to pick something else. Beetlejuice? What was Beetlejuice? A beetle that was making juice? Ew. He needed to work on his mundanes’ knowledge, or maybe ask Simon later? A bowl in one hand and some soda in the other, the shadowhunter joined his kids and smiled.

“So? What’s the program?”  
“Daaaaaaaaad! Blue wants Charlie and the Chocolate factory, but we watched it all the time! Tell him it’s Beetlejuice!”  
“But we never watch it with dad! And Beetlejuice is scary!”

And so they started arguing again until Alec stopped them.

“Boys! We’re gonna begin with the Chocolate-thing, and then, if we are up for another movie, Beetlejuice. Ok?”  
“Yes, dad!” said both boys, in perfect unison. 

That day was spent between the making of a cake, two whole movies - they were weird if you asked Alec - and, most importantly, all the hugs they did not share while Alexander was lost in another world. Things were slowly going back to normal, except for some things. For example, Rafael and little Blue slept with their father for two or three whole weeks after that day. Until they were sure the man would not go back to his demons’ arms.


	12. Play

Waves of laughter were filling the room as Chairman Meow found a hidden place under the couch. Alec was just back from the Institute and since it was the weekend, the boys asked if they should play a game together. At first, their game was simple - even if they were laughing a lot, especially when Alec was trying to find who he was. The paper on his forehead was saying ‘Minerva McGonagall’, Blue’s was ‘The Little Mermaid’ and Rafael’s ‘Crowley’, the demon from Good Omens. 

“Am I a hero?” asked Alec, watching his sons as they shared a look and nodded. Great. He was a hero. But who? “Am I a fictional character?”  
“Yup! Any ideas?” Blue asked, chuckling when he saw the look on his father’s face.  
“Boys! You know I know nothing about the mundanes’ culture. I don’t know… am I Beetlejuice?”

Both kids burst out laughing at the answer. Really? Beetlejuice? A hero? They never heard something so stupid, and the way their dad was pouting just added to the comical effect of the situation. Since the man was wrong, they switched to the next player, aka Blue. 

“Am I uh… human?”  
“Nope. Well, not fully. Half of you is human. The other half is not.”  
“Am I a fictional character?” the Blue boy asked, turning his gaze to his father, who just shrugged. Alec did not know who was that little mermaid. She could be part of the Seelie’s Real of from a book, there were no differences for him.  
“You are, yeah,” said Rafael.  
“So… I’m not fully human and from a fictional world. Am I from a fairytale?”  
“Also yes. Now, you have to give us an answer. It’s just three questions!”

Blue sighed and closes his eyes. He needed to think. Someone from a tale, who was half-human, half something else. At first, the young warlock wanted to say the Beast, but the Beast was cursed, not half and half. 

“Am I her?!” Blue asked excitedly, using his magic to perform a sparkly version of the little mermaid’s face. The kid was now more at ease with his magic, and whenever they were home, he used it all the time. Much to Alec amazement and happiness, like when Blue was drawing runes with his magic, to help his brother in the process of learning them. 

From their seats, both father and son groaned. Blue was too good at this game, probably because of his Uncle Simon. The warlock clapped happily and squealed when his brother jumped on him and started tickling his side. His laugh started filling the room, and so was sparkles of magic. Chairman Meow left his napping place when his tail turned a bright shade of pink and the three two legs started laughing on his behalf. 

“Dad help meeeeeeeee! Rafy is tickling meeeeeeee!” the boy cried, his body shaking from his laugher.   
“Shall I? I’m pretty comfortable here,” Alec smirked, sipping some of his coffee when Blue let out an outraged yelp. Somehow, the kids decided this was the right time to target him and the three of them ended on the ground. 

Alec could not remember when was the last time he laughed so freely. But his side was hurting when they stopped wrestling and tickling each other. He still missed Magnus. He would miss him forever. But their kids were his world now.


	13. Scream

It was dark. Around him, everything was pitch black so his eyes could not see a thing. Not even what was in front of his eyes. His hands were touching around him. Under his body was a soft mattress, so soft that he could fell back to sleep if he was not so scared. When he moved his arms, the man realized he was in a small space. Above his face, the surface was cold and smooth.

_“Where am I…?”_ thought the man. The good thing: he was breathing, so clearly alive. But something was telling him his current location contained a small amount of oxygen and, without help, he may just end up dead anyway. _“Why am I here? Where is Here? Is someone looking for me?”_

All these questions kept bugging him and then, it hit him.

_“Who am I?”_

That was the question. What was his name? The answer was somewhere in his mind, he could feel it, the part where all his memories were locked, waiting for him to find the key and free them. Something else was pulsing, right beside his heart tho. When he looked down, his hands were glowing a strange shade of gold. Without thinking, he placed them on the smooth surface above him. His eyes flashed and the stone moved slightly. 

“Move. Move. Move. Move…” he whispered, pushing hard both through his arms and the mysterious force in his hands. “MOVE!” he yelled, and the stone flight high in the air, crashing in a loud noise a few meters away. The noise echoed for what felt like forever and the man sat slowly. Looking around, he realised he was in some sort of… mausoleum? Behind his head, he could see a statue of a man. He was good-looking, Asian and his hands were frozen in a movement to do something. At his feet, there was a name: Magnus Bane. Beloved husband, friend and father. 

With the light now on, his eyes saw he was in a coffin. Like… a true coffin. That and the sigh above him made the man believed he was the dead person. Magnus Bane. 

“The noise was coming from that way!” yelled a voice and soon, he could hear several footsteps and voices as people hurried in his direction. What was he supposed to do? If he just stayed here, sitting awkwardly in a coffin, people may freak out. Even with his body aching like Hell, Magnus - supposedly maybe his name was not Magnus at all - got out of his ‘bed’ and stretched his arms and legs. How long had he been in that coffin? “YOU! Don’t move! Hands up and turn slowly.”

Magnus did as commanded and came face to face with a man and a woman. But when their eyes met, the strangely tattooed people froze on spot.

“It’s impossible.” whispered the woman, his dark eyes looking at him like she was staring at a ghost from the past. “Hands up! Step back, stay away from that grave!”

The surprise was gone from the woman’s eyes, now she just seemed furious.

* * *

Isabelle felt her heart pounding in her chest. Magnus. Magnus was standing right here. In front of Jace and herself. Beside him, the grave was in pieces and the coffin empty. But Magnus was dead. She saw his body and felt no pulse. She was the one who told Alec about his husband’s death. She was there when her older sibling fell in pieces. When he slowly came back to life. When there was a glimpse of hope and he locked himself in an attempt to bring him back from the dead. And here they were… Jace and herself. Facing Magnus’ doppelganger and wanting nothing but kill that thing. If Alec were to walk in here, this would break him. 

“Who are you? Why are you doing this to us?”

The man paled at her questions. He seemed just as confused as them, but it could be an act. Slowly, Jace walked toward the man, his sword ready to cut that creature’s life to an end. The more they near him, the more the man seemed nervous. His brown eyes turned into all too familiar cat’s eyes and he raised his hands in front of him. Hands that were showing powerful magic ready to strike. 

“P-Please. I don’t know what you… please. Who am I? What happened? Do you know me?” the man begged and one of the windows exploded. The one depicting Magnus’ and Alec’s wedding day.   
“That’s not working with us. Drop the act. Magnus was anything but a stuttering baby,” growled Jace, also remembering the day he felt Alec’s despair through his parabatai’s rune. 

That’s when their world went blurry. The man ended up in a full panic attack and the two shadowhunters flew through the room, straight into the wall behind them. Seeing his chance, the man ran through the door. He turned right. Left. Left again. His body seemingly knew where it was going until he reached the outside. The sun was high in the sky and he took off to a small passage, where he disappeared. 

Back in the mausoleum, Isabelle grabbed something that fell on the floor when the stranger took off. Once she saw what it was, when they had studied the scene around them, Isabelle gasped. 

“Isabelle? What is it?”  
“Their engagement’s ring and… and the way the stone was broken it… it was from… by the Angel, that’s not possible.”  
“Izzy?”  
“It was forced from the inside.”

From the inside. There were not many people in Magnus’ grave. Both Nephilims shared a shocked glare and hurried where the man… where Magnus took off. They needed to find him, soon. He was scared. Confused. His magic was wild. He could be a danger both for himself and the others. 

“Izzy!” the two froze. Alec was coming their way, worried written over his face.   
“I heard screams. What’s going on? What happened?”  
“I… it’s… We’ll tell you soon.”

They couldn’t tell Alec about Magnus. Not now that he was in the run. Not until they find him and take him home.


	14. Grave

Alec felt utterly confused when his siblings ran and left him standing in the corridor. What the hell just happened? Isabelle had that habit to hide stuff from him, that was not the problem. But Jace? They were parabatai, and he blatantly lied to him. Right to his face. Something felt wrong and Alec swore to the Angel that he was going to find out what happened. 

In the empty halls, Alec’s footsteps were echoing around the Nephilim and after a couple of minutes, he was standing in the mausoleum. His face turned pale as he recalled the day he buried his heart with his husband. The peaceful place now looked as if a battle troubled his love’s eternal sleep. Parts of the marble’s grave were scattered all over the floor, Magnus’ coffin was empty and the young man felt weak. His mind disconnected as his knees hit the hard floor. Someone took him. Someone took his Magnus. His love was gone, again. Why? Who did that? Isabelle and Jace probably knew what happened but then, why did they just... left? He had a right to know! Some profaned the place... the only place he was still able to feel and talk to his late husband. Gone. No more body. No more soul left. Now... he felt nothing. Nothing but the renewed reality of his death. 

Then it hit him. The anger rose like wildfire through his body. Whoever had taken Magnus from him would regret it. Alec somehow managed to stand and hurried in the control room. Here, he checked all the videos. Every second of the records was on the screen and he tried to find something. 

“Dad? What you doing?” asked a voice, and when he turned around, Rafael was standing here. Oh yeah... he forgot, his son was here for his training. He was very close to his rune’s ceremony. “Can I help?”

Rafael was always eager to help. Even at school, the kid was always helping either the adults or his classmates. His teachers were really happy with that, if he may add. 

“Can you help me check the video between the mausoleum and outside? All the paths. If you see something or someone who’s not supposed to be here, just tell me. Ok?”

Feeling all the seriousness in his father’s tone, the kid nodded and started working. The following minutes were long and boring. One hour pass when Alec pushed a button and froze. The picture on the screen was a bit... weird. But he could recognize that face everywhere. The man was wearing the same clothes than when they buried him. His makeup was gone, of course, his hair a mess and his face... he never saw such fear on Magnus’ face before but... it was him.

“That’s not possible...” Alec whispered, and behind him, he felt Rafael standing behind him.  
“That’s... it’s... He is...” the boy stuttered. “Our Dead Friend!” but then, he quickly adds: “He doesn’t seem so dead, now.”

If the situation was not so.. well... weird and stressful, Alec would probably laugh. Now, he understood why his brother and sister were so distant when he asked what happened. Either Magnus came back from the dead or, and it was more likely, someone took his appearance to torment him. Whatever was going on, that man or thing will regret what he did. 

“Rafael, go find someone to train you with your sword. I’ll find what’s going on. You stay away from this while I search that man. Ok?”

The boy nodded slowly and reluctantly went to the training field with one of the adults. He needed a coffee first. Something strong, some time to think and then a long hunting night in town. That thing was not going near his home or sons. He would kill it first.


	15. Safety

He was hidden in a dark street. The night was falling over the city and with nothing but the clothes he woke up in, the wind reminded him how cold the living world was. Since he opened his eyes all these hours ago, Magnus had tried to remember some glimpse of his former life. For now, nothing happened... and he tried to find out why he ended up close to that building in Brooklyn. Something felt oddly familiar here. 

“Magnus! Stay here!” came a voice from the other side of the street. A woman’s voice. The same girl from his awakening in the church or whatever it was. Her dark hair was floating around her face as her heels clicked on the hard floor. Around here, the air was cracking because of the magic in his body... even if the notion of magic was now foreign to him. “Magnus... it’s me. Isabelle. Don’t you remember me? Your sister-in-law...” 

The woman was acting like a... like someone facing a wild and scared animal. Her hands were up and she knelt several feet away from him. Behind her was the blond man, the one who probably thought he was some God or something. He was good looking, of course, but not his type at all. 

“It’s you. By the Angel, it’s really you...” whispered the woman, and Magnus looked up, his cat-like eyes glowing in the dark. His voice was barely a whisper when he asked if she knew him, but the woman, Isabelle, seemed to hear him. “Yes. Now please, come here. I’ll take you somewhere safe. Do you know why you are here?”

Magnus shook his head. The last thing he remembered was his mother’s suicide. His step-father... the way he grabbed him by the neck. The water filling his lungs and the sudden yell when the man screamed in pain at the fire burning his face and body. Oh, he was sure all of this happened many years ago, he was not so small after all... not anymore. He looked like an adult. He was an adult, and some of his memories were locked in his mind. Magnus held a hand in Isabelle’s direction, standing with her help while she pointed at a window up in the building. 

“Here. You used to live here, with your family. For now, they are at the Institute, so we can go up there and helped you in new clothes.” 

* * *

They were in the Lightwood-Bane’s loft and Isabelle was handing Magnus a pair of jeans and a purple shirt. Instinctively, the man put some jewellery and makeup, as if his true-self was still there. In the kitchen, Jace was making dinner and called them when it was ready. The three of them sat there for a while, in awkward silence, with nothing but their forks and knives’ noise in the room. 

“So,” Magnus finally said. The uncertainty over his face was still strange. After all, the warlock was well known for his exuberance. “You knew me and... and I lived here...? I... is it safe to let me be here like that? What if the... your brother and his kids were coming here?”  
“They won’t. They are spending the night at our mother’s place.” Jace said. “And we need time. To understand what happened and... well... you can’t just face Alec. Not when you’ve been dead for years.”

And the question floated in the air. How was it possible for him to stand here as if nothing ever happened. 

“We need to run some test. Blood tests and maybe the help of Catarina. She is a friend. Your friend, and a nurse in a mundane’s hospital.” said Isabelle, smiling gently to the man. “With our technology and her magic, I’m sure we can find out what happened to you.”

They had to. And if that man was Magnus’ body but without his soul, they would end it again. Once and for all. 

“You’re gonna kill me... if something is wrong? Right?” the man asked, a knowing look on his face. “It’s ok. I don’t want to live if I’m not the person I seem to be. It’s fine.”

The two Nephilims wanted to say they won’t kill him. But they knew they may have to... if not for their safety, for Magnus’ and Alec’s peace. Suddenly, Jace’s phone buzzed on the table and the man quickly answered.

“Yes?”

...

“Alec, I swear it’s not like...”

...

“We are... in town.”

...

“What? You’re heading to the loft? Why?”

...

“I see. Where are the kids? With mom? Good.”

...

“Sure. See you.”

The blond ended the call and face the others. No words were needed. Alec was on his way. He was coming to the loft and, by the look on the blond’s face... there was no way for them to escape without their brother noticing it. 

“What do we do now?” Magnus asked, clearly nervous. “What are we going to tell him?”  
“Yes, I’m curious. What are you going to tell me?”

The three turned at the same time, frozen on spot at the sight standing in the room. Alec was here, his dark eyes stopping on each of them for a while. Magnus was the last and lowered his gaze when he saw the hatred in the younger man’s eyes. For a second, he also noticed the hope and hurt, but the archer was clearly protecting himself by pushing all the other feelings in a far corner of his mind. 

“Alec, we can explain! It’s not what it...”  
“Enough!” growled Alec. From his pocket, he grabbed a pair of handcuffs and faced Magnus-look-alike. “You. You are under arrest and will be put in a trial at the New York Insitute. Do you have something to say?”  
“No, Sir...” whispered Magnus. He was not going to protest. 

No matter how hard Isabelle and Jace tried to interfere, Alec simply refused to listen. His husband was dead and soon, that creature would join the underworld too.


	16. Subconscious

Screams were echoing in the dark place. The city of bones probably was the scariest place he had seen in his life… and for a man with no memories of his past, that meant nothing. Nothing at all. From somewhere, a man yelled again and begged for someone to stop tormenting him. He knew how it felt… every now and then, when he was closing his eyes, images were filling his mind. Some he remembered as they were from his childhood… and others who startled him and forced him to wake up not to find peace again. Sadly, the memories of the dreams lasted for maybe thirty minutes and then, he was an empty shell again. 

He had been there for days or weeks when, at last, someone opened his cell’s door and ordered him to follow them. They walked for a while, passing many cells before they walked through a portal and Magnus found himself standing in the trial room. 

“Place your hands on the sword.”

Magnus jumped when he heard a voice from behind him. A man with a stern look and no hair. He looked a bit like the Lightwood kids. Their father, maybe?

“You are accused of violating a sacred place in this Institute and usurping the former High Warlock’s identity. Do you refute these accusations?”  
“I-I don’t know, Sir.” said the man, who felt utterly confused. Maybe he did, or maybe not? How could he know it, without his memories to guide him. Thank God, if the sword was of any use, it clearly did not act like the Nephilim expected. “I mean… I did destroy that tomb but… I had no other choice.”

Once again, the sword barely glowed, showing he was telling the truth. He had no other choice, or he would have died inside. 

“Are you telling us you woke up in that grave like Isabelle Lightwood and Jace Herondale told us?”  
“Y-Yes, sir.”

Several gasps were heard when it was clear he was telling the truth.

“Are you Magnus Bane?” this time, the question was coming from Alec’s voice. The young man stepped next to his father, his eyes glowing with that same sparkle of hope in them. 

For a long time, Magnus remained silent. He needed to know. To find the truth. That question had haunted him for weeks now. 

“I don’t know. I don’t know who I am or…”

The door suddenly burst open and a man stood there. He was tall, Asian and his hair were shoulder-length. What caught everyone attention was his eyes tho. Yellowish cat-eyes. Everything about him seemed familiar and… wrong. Very wrong. Then, all hell breaks loose. The man and a bunch of demons started to attack the people at the trial. The alarms were loud, coming from everywhere and the Nephilims grabbed their weapons to fight back. With his bow and arrows, Alec was fighting like a god, but he did not notice the man behind him, the one who looked a lot like Magnus. 

“No!” came the scream, from deep inside Magnus, or whoever he was. His body reacted before his mind and with a wave of his hand, the demons’ leader flew at the other side of the room. For some weird reasons, the man in the trial felt a wave of wild anger boiled in him. Four strings of powerful magic wrapped themselves around the demon and they heard his scream filled the room. “Don’t touch Alexander!” growled Magnus, not noticing the sudden switch in Alec’s eyes at the way he said his name. Another wave of his hand and a portal opened.  
“Even if you send me back to Edom, I will come back, son!” said the demon.  
“That’s why you are not going to Edom…”

Another spell put the demon in sleep or unconsciousness and right through the portal. All the demons fled when their leader disappeared and, before the Lightwood could say anything, the warlock among them fell on the ground. 

“Magnus!” screamed Alec, feeling deep inside him that the man was his late husband. “Please. Please wake up. Don’t leave me again.”


	17. Asphyxiation

Alexander was passing just outside the infirmary. It had been hours since Magnus loses consciousness and his fears were just crashing on him like the waves of the ocean in a stormy night. Magnus. His Magnus. It sounded impossible, after all, they saw his body… Isabelle saw his body and announced his death many years ago, at 11:23am. The darkest day of his life but now, Magnus was here. Under the watch of the best doctors in the entire Institute, fighting for his life… again. When he fell like a puppet without its strings. 

When he heard his yell and saw the protectiveness in the man’s posture, the way his magic responded to his mere will, he _knew_. The man was his. When they were together, Magnus had jumped more than once to protect him and, deep down, he knew he would have done that even in another life. A life where they were nothing but strangers. His heart was now beating fast, hoping a good new when the door would open. 

“Mister Lightwood?”

Alec quickly turned around. A woman was there, waiting for his attention. Quickly, he joined her and waited for whatever she was about to say. 

“So? How is he? What happened?”

Several minutes later, he was standing at Magnus’ side. The words of his colleague were spiralling in his mind while he watched the peaceful face of the warlock. When he though him dead, all these years ago, a spell had actually been cast on the man, stopping his heart between two heart-beats. He looked dead, his body was frozen in a moment of time. When Isabelle checked his pulse, she thought he was dead since his heart was not beating, not anymore. That spell was probably from a very powerful warlock, who thought that when his work would wear-off, the high warlock would just die from the lack of oxygen. But he survived and, even if his memories were still locked somewhere, Alec would stay with him. 

“Dad? Is it… him?” came Rafael voice from behind him. A quick glance was enough to inform him of both his sons’ presence. Blue was watching from behind them, his brows furrowed. “There is a bad spell on him…” whispered the young warlock. He had these feelings sometimes as if he could sense the magic around other people.  
“What do you mean?” asked Alec, feeling worried once more.   
“He is not supposed to wake up and… and if he does, he can’t remember you. It’s a bad curse. Because you two are… breaking the laws?”

The boy seemed unsure and almost sad. 

“He won’t wake up. Not if we can’t find a way to break the curse or… or find the caster himself.” whispered the boy. “But… I can try something?”

Before Alec could say anything, the blue boy placed his hands on Magnus’ head and the two Nephilim saw how the boy’s magic seemed to invade the man’s head. 

“He can hear us now, and his magic is working to unlock his memories and finds what happened to him.”

A small smile graced Magnus’ lips at these words, and Blue blushed. 

“He… he thinks I’m cute and… and all grown up…”  
“You-You can hear him?” Alec asked in awe, and the little boy nodded.   
“I connected our minds so… so he’s not all alone.” he muttered, “Are you mad, dad?”  
“No. No of course not. I love your papa, dearly… and knowing he has you is all I need right now.”

* * *

In his mind, Magnus felt like screaming. Even if he was breathing, he was suffocating. One moment he was helping the tall man, the other his mind just collapse on itself and he was alone. But then, he saw it. A small blue light. He had been fighting his anxiety for hours and he heard a voice. The first noise since he was there. 

“Magnus? Can you hear me?” asked the voice. A kid’s voice.   
“Yes! Where are you?”  
“Right here. Dad and Rafa are here too. Can you see me?”  
“No.”

A moment later, the strange energy around him crackled and the cutest little boy he has seen in his life was there. He saw that face before. But younger. 

“I know you…”  
“You were my friend when I was very little. When dad was sad because you died. I called you by accident.” and then, the boy gasped. “Oh! If… if I called you… maybe I… maybe I can do something!”

Before he could say anything, the presence was gone. He just hoped the boy would not risk his life in an attempt to help him.


	18. Trembling

If things ended well, Alec swore to himself that he was going to find that dragon Blue had always wanted. The boy was barely ten, but with Catarina’s help, he found a way to wake Magnus and unlock his memories. All at once. For days now, the head of the Institute had been talking to his husband, telling him stories about their life together. Blue was standing next to the bed, listening to his aunt’s words before they cast the spell. 

Stepping back, Alec felt his hands trembling at his side. Was it going to work? Will Magnus remember them? What if he disapproves of the way Alec raised Blue, and that he adopted another kid? He was probably more nervous than for his wedding day, even the one with Lydia. 

“Alec? No offence but... could you leave? You are making us nervous with your pacing!” growled Cat, and Blue giggled at her side. With a huff of annoyance, Alec left and headed to the training field, where he found his parabatai... clearly waiting for him. “Took you long enough. Come.”

They fought for a while until Alec’s body was trembling because of the effort and not from nervousness. Outside, the sun was bidding them a good night and the blond man facing him tilted his head. “I think someone wants to have a word.”

Quickly, the man turned around and gasped. He looked weak, weaker than he was when he found him with his siblings. His hair fell around his face, his eyes wear that look... the one between relief and fear... fear that this moment was a dream. Alec knew it because he was experiencing the same thing right now. A few steps behind the warlock, Blue was fast asleep in Catarina’s arms and the woman smiled softly. She wanted to see it, but also let the two lovers enjoyed their first moments in years. 

“M-Magnus...”

Magnus almost jumped at the voice and looked up. Three times, he opened his mouth but his words failed him. One step after the other, both Nephilim and warlock walked toward each other. What if it was a dream? What if the other man disappeared the moment they tried to touch and wrapped their arms around the love of their life? Alec was the first to make the move and the familiar scent filled his lungs. Magnus’ smell. Magnus’ body was against his and before he knew it, tears were slowly rolling down his cheeks. Against his chest, he felt a sudden wet spot and knew he was not the only one crying. 

“I’m here, Magnus. You are safe... I’m sorry I didn’t notice before... I love you. I love you. You are safe.” he whispered, not giving a damn about all the looks people were giving them. Or maybe they were in shock. Probably. “Love, you need to rest, come...”

When he tried to step back, Magnus held tight on his shirt, not letting him go. He had been buried alive, these things tended to leave an impact on a man. Even when said man was a powerful warlock. In his arms, he could feel the trembling form of his husband and gently kissed his forehead. 

“I go with you. I’m not leaving you for the next century...” Alec said in his ear. Magnus smiled slightly at the promise, even if he knew how mortal was his husband. They walked together down the corridors until they reached Alec’s former bedroom and the shadowhunter tucked Magnus in bed.   
“You never stopped loving me?” Magnus asked, his eyes studying Alec’s face like he was trying to memorize each detail of his being. “My Alexander... you are still the same.”  
“I’m older, and so are the kids.”  
“Kids? We have more...?” Magnus asked, snuggled in the younger man’s embrace. “Tell me more, about them both.”

With a smile, Alec started sharing all sort of stories about Blue and Rafael. Before long, Magnus was fast asleep in his arms. The spell that brought him back both body and soul was powerful and, just like Blue, he needed time to recover. Hours of sleep, in fact, and when he opened his eyes again, two more people were stuck between him and Alec. Two kids and Magnus loved them the moment he saw their sleeping faces. He was home... finally.


End file.
